Photographic-printing machine.



No. 860,127. PATENTBDJULY 16, 1907'. I

S. OOLFAX.

PHOTOGRAPHIO PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYG. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JULY 16, 1907.

S. GOLFAX.

PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1905. i

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.0 .LUlZfocA. 257%.

S OHUYLER OOLFAX, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

PHOTOGRAPHIG-PRINTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed July 6,1905. Serial No. 268,314-

the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Josephand State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements inPhotographic- I Printing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in photographic printingmachines.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for gripping theprint paper in advance of the platen so as to prevent the former frombeing shifted or dislodged before the latter contacts therewith, therebyenabling the operator to properly position the print paper upon thenegative.

Another object of the-invention is to so associate the parts andmechanisms that the platen will control the movement of the grippingdevice.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of my inventionis better understood by reference to the following description andaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the top of a photographic printingmachine with the platen shown in raised position and embodying all thefeatures of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 50-1;

of Fig. 1, showing in dotted lines certain positions of the platen andthe gripping device.

Making renewed reference to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable caseor cabinet which contains the usual electric lamps 2 that emit light toa negative 3 positioned upon the ground glass 4 thatcovers the opening 5in the top 6 of the case.

At the rear of the top 6 is secured a plate 7 having ears 8 in which ismounted a rod 9. This plate has a rearward projection that terminates inan upstanding recessed keeper 11 the purpose of whibh will appearhereinafter.

Pivoted'on the rod 9 is a swinging platen frame 12 having a cross bar 13arranged parallel to and just above the rod 9 and also provided at itsfree end with a handle bar 14. To this swinging frame is secured theplaten 15, the face of which is preferably covered with some yieldingmaterial 16 such as felt or rubber so as to form a perfect contact whenbrought into engagement with the photographic paper on the negative.Associated with the platen and its frame is a gripping device 17 whichpreferably consists'of a lever which is fulcrumed on the rod 9 atapproximately the center thereof and having an upwardly extending arm18- and a forwardly extending arm 19 that terminates.

that they will yieldingly engage the photographic paper A, and hold itin position upon the negative 3 during the downward movement of theplaten. These gripping fingers 21 are also preferably made of very thinmetal so as not to interfere with the perfect contact of the platen withthe photographic paper, the fingers being adapted to be compressed upinto the cushion 16 of the platen when the latter engages the printpaper. The operation of the gripping 'device is automatic to the extentthat it is elevated by raising the platen and lowered by a spring 22which is attached at one end to the bottom of the lever by a screw 23and extends rearwardly with its free end disposed within the recess ofthe keeper 11 as shown in Fig. 1. This spring 22 has a tendency to drawthe lever around upon the rod 9 on which it is fulcrumed and therebyproject its upwardly extending arm 18 forwardly to the posi-.

tion shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and its forwardly extending arm 19downwardly into engagement with the print paper as also shown in Fig. 2.The action of the spring, however, is arrested by the cross bar 13 ofthe platen frame which is disposed within the path of the upwardlyextending arm 18 and therefore the gripping device can only be loweredwhen the platen iraine is lowered to release the cross bar 13 fromengagement with the arm 18, and thus the cross bar 13 engages the arm 18of the gripping device when the platen is raised.

Let it be premised that the parts are in the position shown in fulllines in Fig.2, and the operator may, by

grasping with one hand, the handle bar 14 of the platen frame, bring theplaten down half-way to the position shown in dotted lines and thusrelease the upstanding arm 18 of the gripping device from engagementwith the cross bar 13 of the platen frame permitting the gripping deviceto be forced down by the spring 22. It being assumed that the operator,has with his other hand placed the print paper in position upon thenegative, the gripping fingers will clasp the print paper and firmlyhold it upon the negative and the operator may then removehis hand fromthe print paper and continue to lower the platen which will contact withthe print paper and hold it aga .ist the negative as shown in dottedlines. When the picture has been printed and the platen raised, thecross bar 13 will strike the upright arm 18 and elevate the grippingfingers 21 releasing the print paperand permitting it to be removed, andthe parts are now in a position to be again lowered,

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new is: p

1. In a photographic printing machine, the combination witlr the casehaving means to hold a negative and pho tographic paper, and a platenhinged to said case and adapted to engage with the photographic paper,of a gripping member. yielding-1y held in engagement with thephotographic paper and constructed and arranged to be released andlifted from said paper by the platen.

2. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with acase havingmeans for holding a negative and photographic paper, of a platen hingedto the case and adapted to press the photographic paper in contact withthe negative, and a gripping member having means to force it in contactwith the photographic paper, and also constructed and arranged to bereleased from said print paper by the platen.

2;. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with the casehaving means to hold a negative and photographic paper, of a swingingplaten, a swinging gripping device, means operating independently of theplaten for automatically swinging the gripping device to engage it withthe photographic paper, and means carried by the platen to disengage theswinging device from the photographic paper.

4. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with the casehaving means to hold a negative and photographic paper, and a platenhinged to said case, of a swinging gripping device normally held inengagement with the photographic paper and having a temporary engagementwith the platen during the'upward movement of the latter, whereby theplaten elevates the gripping device.

5. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with the caseadapted to hold a negative and a sensitized element, a frame hingedtothe case; and a platen carried by the frame, of a lever pivoted to thecase and having for wardly extending gripping fingers adapted to engagethe sensitized element and also provided with an arm disposed within thepath of the platen frame, and means operating independently of theplaten for automatically pro-' jecting the arm forwardly and thegripping fingers downwardly into engagement with the sensitized element.

6. In a photographic printing machine, the combinationwith the case'having means to hold a negative and a sensitlzed element, a pivotedplaten frame and a platen car 'ied by the frame, of a lever having aforwardly extending arm provided with gripping fingers and also havingan upwardly extending arm in the path of the platen frame and adapted tobe engaged thereby when the latter is raised, and a spring to force thegripping fingers into engagement with the print paper when the upwardlyextending arm is released by the platen frame. I

7. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with the casehaving means to hold a negative and a. sensitized paper, a platen framehinged to the case, and the platen carried by the platen frame, of agripping device pivoted beneath the platen frame and comprising anupstanding arm projected within the path of the platen frame and adaptedto be engaged therewith when the platen frame israised, and a forwardlyextending gripping finger arrang'ed'to engage the sensitized elementwhen the upwardly extending arm is released by the platen frame.

8. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with the casehaving means to hold a negative and a sensitized element, a platen framepivoted to the case, and a platen carried by said platen frame, of alever mounted on the pivot of the platen frame and having an upwardlyextending arm adapted to be engaged with the platen frame when thelatter is raised and also provided with a forwardly extending arm,resilient gripping fingers secured to the forwardly extending arm, and aspring having one end secured to the lever and its other end engagedwith the case and serving to normally force the gripping fingers of thelever into engagement with the sensitized element.

. 9. In a photographic printing'machine, the combination with the .casehaving means to hold a negative find. the photographic paper, of a plate7 having a recessed keeper and also provided with ears, a rod mounted inthe ears, 1: platen frame pivoted on the rod and having a cross bar arranged parallel with the rod, 11 platen carried by the platen frame, alever pivoted on said rod and having an upwardly extending arm adaptedto be engaged by the cross bar of the platen frame when the latter iselevated and also provided with a forwardly extending arm, resilientgripping fingers mounted on said arm, and a spring having one endsecured to the bottom of the leverand its free end disposed within therecess of the keeper, substantially as specified.

10. In a photographic printing machine, the cou1bination with the casehaving means to hold a negative and photographic paper, and a platenhinged to said case and adapted to engage with the photographic paper,of a gripping member to engage the photographic paper and arranged to bereleased and lifted from the paper by the platen.

11. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a casehaving means for holding a negative and photographic paper, of a platenhinged to the case and adapted to press the photographic paper incontact with the negative, and a gripping member having means to forceit in contact with the photographic paper.

12. In a photographic printing machine, the combinzr tion with a casehaving means for holding a negative and photographic paper, of a platenmovable to press the paper into contact with the negative, a grippingmember, and means moving said gripping member to the paper independentlyof the platen.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature, in presence of twosubscribingwitnesses.

Gnome OL'rscn, G, M. Conn.

